Just think, a wild frontier planet with unlimited potential for fame, glory and adventure! Basically an old west setting in space. Filled with bandits, outlaws, gold diggers, mutants, cyborg horses and jawa like natives. I think a lot of great ideas could be used from the Bravestarr series!
Criminal activity is a way of life in the garbage strewn streets of Imajapoor. A lot of the urban youth start urban tribes also known as gangs. Dwarven youths who grow up in the strict and stoic manner of their parents, find themselves at odds with traditional way of life. Many dwarves choose to leave their ancestral homes of stone (Steinheim) for the streets of Imajapoor. Living on the streets is tough, many of the dwarf kids turn to petty larceny, theft, armed robbery and sometimes murder.
Some time ago a lowlife gang calling itself The Gutter Dwarves formed, and has become quite a nuisance in Imajapoor proper. A lot of the gang members choose to shave their heads and beards (which is a huge taboo in dwarf society), while others spike up their hair and dye it unnatural colors.
The Gutter Dwarves aren't very sophisticated mainly due to their youth, average age is around 40-70 years of age. They stick more to low level of street crime and thuggery, Don't let that lull you into a false sense of security, if you see members of the gang avoid them at all costs!
**Thanks to the good Prof. Gremlin for this idea**
Growing up in the eighties in Northern Illinois, I discovered a little game called Battltech. Around the time that I entered high school I became friends with some Juniors that also played Battletech. We met at the DeKalb Public Library as often as we could, and would spend hours fighting through various campaigns. We balanced out Battletech with other RPGs like Traveller, Champions, D&D but most of our play time was with Battletech. I look back on these days with very fond memories and I consider this to be my salad days as far as gaming goes.
When I started out playing Battletech around 1985 or so, the mecha were so much better. Now I recognized the mecha as being mostly from Robotech, and I also recognized the models from Robotech Defenders by Revell (but would later discover that they were from a series called Dougram), and a couple from a series called Crusher Joe.
I don't know the whole story but Harmony Gold, who owned the rights to Macross/Robotech sued FASA for using the Mecha. I believe that FASA had bought the rights to use the mecha around the same time that Harmony Gold also bought the rights, but in the end FASA dropped the original line of mechs.
I really liked the original designs, but what can you do. I've still got an older version of the game, but I lost my minis due to leaving them at a friends housed and then he later moved. But anyways, here's my tribute to the original (okay, maybe not original) mechs from Battletech.
This was originally a character I created for the Swords & Wizardry Monster Book, so I decided it was time to do a version for T&T!
Inner Child
Monster Rating: 80 Combat Dice: 9D6 + 40
Powers: ESP Blasting Power Shield Me
The Inner Child is a semi-parasitic organism that lies dormant inside it's human host. It has the ability to dimensionally shift outside it's host but remains bound by a psychic umbilical cord (6ft).
It resembles it's host creature but with mutated features. The host creature is aware of the Inner Child but usually keeps this a secret.
The Inner Child has strong psychic abilities, and also has a psychic blast (60ft) and a force wall that can shield itself and the host. If the host is killed, the inner child dies within 1D6 turns. **Any person, PC or NPC, within the six foot range of the deceased host needs to make a contested Will power (Average of Int+Con) SR or end up the Inner Child's new host.** (Thanks Prof. Gremlin!)
"But I stabbed a man in Imajapoor, just to watch him die" - popular song in Imajapoor by The Bard In Black
Foulsome Prison is where they throw you when they want to forget about you. You don't necessarily have to do something immoral or against the law to get sent there. In fact, Imajapoor was built upon criminal activity. But if you don't pay off the right people, you might find find yourself shackled to a 40 pound iron ball inside a 4X8 cell with three other room mates.
Getting out of Foulsome can be a bit tricky too. There's plenty of guards inside and on the walls of the prison, plus several beasties guarding the courtyard. If you can get to the storm sewers that would be your best route, but they lead to the mazes of the Underdrek!
Best thing to do is lay low, and keep a low profile when visiting Imajapoor. At least until you have enough geld to pay bribes, or enough muscle to not worry about paying bribes!
There's only one giant living in the city of Imadjapoor, and that's Gong. Gong is also the city's sanitation department, affectionately known as a honey dipper. Somebody has to do the job, and Gong is very good at it!
Every night, Gong walks the city emptying the cities public outhouses of their cache. Each outhouse is equipped with hinged roofs that can be opened from the top, this is easy for a giant. He then dips his giant ladle inside, scooping out the contents and emptying the treasure into his "Honey Wagon" and then moves on to the next one. Sometimes local citizens get quite a surprise if they head out for a late night constitutional, but most of Imajapoorians know better.
The honey wagon is then taken to the sanitary headquarters where the waste can be converted into fuel for the rest of the city. Very economical and green (or brown depending on what people have eaten that day) friendly!
It's customary for citizens to leave a tip in the tip box outside of the outhouses, otherwise certain districts might find their outhouses overflowing. Just a friendly reminder when visiting the great city of Imadjapoor!
"Hundreds of miles from the mainland, surrounded by dangerous waters, lies an island known only as the Isle of Dread.
Dark jungles and treacherous swamps await those who are brave enough to travel inland in search of the lost plateau, where the ruins of a once mighty civilization hold many treasures - and many secrets!"
I've always been a fan of jungle adventures, I think it all started with Tarzan. This particular module has Edgar Rice Burroughs written all over it! Although more in a Pellucidar kind of way (think "Land That Time Forgot"). Originally written to introduce wilderness adventures into your campaign, this loose, open-ended adventure can be placed inside anybody's campaign world.
I love the feel of this adventure, and in my opinion, this is one of the greats as far as "Old School" open-ended rules. This excerpt is from the introduction page:
"The Isle of Dread is a wilderness adventure designed to help you plan your own wilderness settings and adventures. While the D&D Expert rule book contains most of the information you will need to design this type of adventure, this module is another tool. It is a graphic example of what a wilderness adventure may be.
Before Beginning play, you should read the entire module carefully and become completely familiar with it. Much of the information given in the encounter descriptions is for your use only, and should be revealed to the players at your discretion. Use your imagination when described in encounters to the players. If an area description is not given in an encounter, make up your own, based on what you know about the area on what you see on the maps provided."
Breathe in the Old School!
Set in the world of Mystara (one of the earliest official settings for D&D), the adventure is designed for character levels 3-7 and preferably for about 6-10 players. That's pretty huge for most gaming groups today!
Without trying to give out any spoilers, I'm just going to say that there are plenty of over water/ over land adventures complete with plenty of monster encounters, encounters with the local tribes, and some tomb raiding! There are some great ideas about nature and it's surroundings, specifically about rough/dangerous terrain that I really liked. And there are plenty of prehistoric beasties to keep you busy!
I could see this adventure becoming a great campaign lasting several sessions! So if you run any wilderness encounters, this is a great place to start!
Check out this blog, The Isle of Dread Project, unfortunately it looks like it hasn't been updated since 2008. But it's a great idea!
This is an idea I've had for a "Dying Earth" campaign.
Wizards of Ryxys are shrouded in mystery. A child who has a natural inclination for magick may undergo training in the Crystal Halls of Ryxys (originally a crystal asteroid that had crashed and then later was discovered this was actually a space craft). Once the training is complete, the magic user is given the robes of Ryxys (they believe the Wizards must be covered head to toe to preserve their magical energies, if their body is exposed they'll lose mana), and set upon the world to search for artifacts of Ryxys that can shed light on the magic contained within the craft.
I'm using regular rules for Magic Users (except they can use weapons) in The Swords & Wizardry Core Book, but maybe I'll come up with some newer spells.
"'I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you . . .. I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!'" -The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Not everyone in a fantasy setting trust in Magick. In some cultures it can be a dark evil thing that is best left alone! You could find yourself becoming the slave of some creature of the beyond that you sought yourself to enslave. Spells can go wrong and who will pay the consequences. Mankind was not meant to dabble in forces that are beyond our comprehension and control.
I'm a fan of 60's and 70's horror movies, especially the ones involving witchcraft. A couple in particular that really stand out are Witchfinder General and Mark Of The Devil. These movies are great fodder for role playing games!
You could play a cleric character as a religious zealot, who serves a deity trying to cleanse the world of magick and sorcery. Purging sorcery in the all cleansing flames of righteousness.
You could also be a character who's family was killed by practitioners of black magick. Sacrificed by some dark god or evil demon. Now they will meet justice at the end of your blade!
Or you could be a sort of enforcer used by the guild of Wizards to root out those who haven't paid their dues. Wizards can be every bit as vindictive as the mundane world can be. Especially if there's money involved!
Just a few random ideas to make a campaign interesting!
... to what the OSR has built off of. Both the old guard and the second generation can work together to create and grow this hobby for future generations.
This all reminds me of how Rock 'n Roll began. Elvis wasn't exactly the first, but he was the best! He blended country and blues, along with gyrating hips and a greaser/juvenile delinquent look complete with bedroom eyes that made the girls scream! Then he got drafted into the army for a couple of years and came back to do films rather than rock 'n roll.
Enter The Beatles. They changed the look of rock, with their mop top hair and snappy looking suits. Perfect harmonies and great pop sensibilities had the fans screaming and cheering so loud you couldn't even hear the music.
Some have argued that the Beatles were less rock 'n roll than Elvis. Sure, they were more polished than Elvis, their brand of rhythm and blues didn't translate the same as The King's version of rhythm and blues. And they arrived on the scene long after Elvis paved way. But in the end they were still rock 'n roll.
Both artists are icons and have long enduring legacies and influences that live on today!
This is how I see TSR and the OSR!
I don't really see any benefit of the old guard and the second generation of gamers splitting. If you don't like the moniker OSR, fine. It's not really important, it's the games and the camaraderie that matter. Pied Piper Games has distanced itself from what is called the OSR and that's fine (although on the official distributor's website, Noble Knight hasPied Piper listed under the genre Old School Renaissance) , although I'll bet a lot of people who buy their products identify themselves as part of the "Old School". I personally haven't bought anything from them yet, but I plan to in the future, they've got some interesting looking stuff!
I'd hate to see such division between two groups that have so much in common.
"Those sun dwelling above world scum think they're so high and mighty. They come down to our homes rob, cheat, and murder all in the name of some righteous cause like rescuing fair damsels, recovering a stolen magic item or adventure. Feh, I say! I hate above world tourists!" - Feh The Troll
Let's face it, adventurers are nothing more than tourists with delusions of grandeur. They camp out, leave a mess, harass the locals, and head back home with lot's of loot.
Ken St. Andre of Tunnels & Trolls fame wrote a game called "Monsters Monsters" that basically turned the tables and made the monsters the good guys, and the tunnel raiders the bad guys. This game has been long out of print, and if you are lucky enough to find it you'll pay through the nose for it. But there's no reason why you couldn't run a game of D&D in the same way.
You could have an orc warband defending their cave warrens from "stinkin' 'oomans" who came to murder them in their home. Sort of an orcish homeland security.
Or how about a lovesick dragon who was so smitten with a fair damsel, that he just had to fly off with her to his lair. And now a company of adventurers are coming to steal her back.
How about spirits of the dead who are just minding their own business haunting their own tombs when some burglars break in to steal their grave offerings!
This would give the players something to think about next time they try to rob some poor innocent goblins of their ill gotten gains!
I've always been intrigued by the game Paranoia. It's got great tongue-in-cheek style humor (albeit dark humor), and lot's of action.
The basic setting is a utopian (dystopian?) society, where "The Computer" controls the underground city called "Alpha Complex." You as a citizen soldier called a "Trouble Shooter" must root out various conspiracies hatched by subversive groups like The Communists, mutants, PURGE, Humanists, Psion, Frankenstein Destroyers, Free Enterprise, Illuminati, and the Sierra Club. But be warned, these groups may try to kill you or even worse, blackmail you.
Now this game ironically came out in 1984, so it's dated in concept. Mongoose has a current version of the game, and I was thinking about getting it but I wasn't sure if it would translate very well to today's times.
The Perfect Citizen is almost a Paranoia trademark infringement! Could it be that our government is trying to make this almost 30 year old RPG relevant again? Or is it just art imitating life?
"SERVE THE COMPUTER THE COMPUTER IS YOUR FRIEND!
The Computer wants you to be happy. If you are not happy, you may be used as reactor shielding.
The Computer is crazy. The Computer is happy. The Computer will help you to become happy. This will drive you crazy."
I'm interested in seeing what everyone's first RPG was. Please click on the poll to the right --------->
Was it D&D, the father of all RPG's?
Was it Traveller, one of the earliest Sci-Fi games?
Personally I was introduced into RPGs by playing a game of Chill! An awesome Horror RPG (my first character was killed and eaten by a werewolf in the first game).
Or was it Pendragon, Tunnels & Trolls, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Robotech, Doctor Who, Gamma World, Talislanta.....etc.
Let me know and post a little about your experience!
